Four nude paintings have been removed from Portsmouth’s Anglican cathedral after worshippers and visitors expressed distress over the sight of naked flesh.
The acrylic canvas works by local artist Joe Greenwood were on display at the cathedral as part of a summer show by the Portsmouth and Hampshire Art Society (PHAS).
But a cathedral spokesman said that a number of visitors complained about the paintings, leading to the decision to remove them.
The Diocese of Portsmouth spokesman said:

Portsmouth Cathedral aims to be a space open to everybody. Whenever a public exhibition takes place in a church it is important to weigh up how it relates to our main purpose of being a place for prayer, reflection and worship.This decision is not a reflection on the quality of the artist’s work but on our duty to balance the needs of all those who come to the cathedral.

Greenwood, 40, from Southsea said:

This was my first proper exhibition, so it makes me sad my paintings have been misconstrued in this way.Nudity itself is not a sexual thing, it’s just a human form, and there is a lot of it in religious art – look at the Sistine Chapel for example.

If only, if only, Christianity had taken another path, one where nakedness was the sign of innocence, and public fornication an act of piety, the world would be a much happier place. I’m sure that any half decent theologian could come up with the church of holy copulation by quotations from the OT and NT.

AgentCormac

Sadly, those delightful christians – you know, the ones who have exclusive knowledge of what’s right and wrong – have been at it for centuries. You name it, from ancient Egyptian art and neolithic stone circles to the famed Library of Alexandria, they’ve seen fit deface, destroy, vandalise or subsume just about anything that doesn’t fit with their prissy, puritanical outlook. Something they apparently refer to as ‘christian values’. (And they have the gall to claim they’re being persecuted!)
So before they start demanding the removal of depictions of the human body, which their deity apparently designed, they may just want to compare the behaviour of their own religion to that of the barbaric ISIS cult. Both of which have been guilty of doing irreparable and irreversible damage to the legacy of human culture.http://www.badnewsaboutchristianity.com/gi0_vandalism.htm

Broga

andym: But what about cunnilingus? Or is the woman to be deprived yet again?

StephenJP

I’m bemused. The cathedral seems to have been happy to host the Art Society’s summer show – possibly not for the first time. Did they specify in advance that they would not allow any artworks that might upset anyone to be exhibited? If they did, they would have excluded about half the world’s works of art that are worth looking at. If they didn’t, they should accept the consequences.
And all we are told is that “a number” of visitors complained. What does that mean? One is a number. So is zero.

tonye

Sorry to be a bit off topic.
Is Daz still operating the Dixie Flatline – I’m missing my Friday night music fix.

The hypocrisy of the religious again. Nude paintings are bad but icons depicting a man being tortured are OK.

Ron

Religions are obsessed with things sexual. Its all about power. Sex is dirty sinful disgusting evil unless the holy man grants permission by way of some god fawning primitive ritual and a piece of paper which the holy man will provide in exchange for a tidy sum of money and your continued obsequious grovelling at his feet and cash donations. Well I say bollocks to all that and get on with a healthy joyous sex life free from the guilt ridden shackles that creepy dysfunctional picknose men ache to impose.

andym

I see this as a spectacular own-goal. Like one of those where the player puts a diving header in the top corner…of his own goal. I’ve little doubt they charged, and money was a motivator, but my guess is that they were trying to show how relevant, contemporary, forward-looking they were. A thriving part of the local community. No non-religious establishment would have even seen a problem, and people will think twice before agreeing to display in all local C Of E buildings , not just the cathedral.
The Diocese of Portsmouth spokesman said: “Portsmouth Cathedral aims to be a space open to everybody.”
“…but when push comes to shove, we’ll favour narrow-minded religious bigots.”

John

Initially, I thought this was a report from the USA.
That kind of nonsense is normal there.
Do we now have creeping importation of American stupidity taking place?
What next – public burning of books?

Stephen Harvie

They seem to have no problem with ritualistic cannibalism and child abuse though!

Tony A

Broga – “How do these prudes manage to breed?”
The Christian ‘Festival of Light’ prudes do it in the dark with paper bags over their heads, holding their noses and gritting their teeth whilst praying loudly for forgiveness.

tonye

@Stephen Mynett,
Many thanks.

1859

No sex=no orgasms=no animal life = no humans= no god = no religions…….
Come to think of it, I’m sure these christians would prefer asexual reproduction (a method favoured by many none-flowering plants) where humans would sprout buds that would drop off and start walking about looking for food. These ‘new individuals’ would actually be clones of their parents and they would, like their parents, go on to sprout buds that would drop off etc..etc. No nasty sex, no messy orgasms. This is why plants never went on to invent god or religions.

Stuart H.

If they’re serious, they could start by covering up that bloke on the cross.
Now THAT’s offensive , and not the kind of thing you want little kids seeing.